"They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated - of whom the world was not worthy - wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." Hebrews 11:37b-38

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

You Number My Wanderings

From Psalm 56 in the New King James Version:

8 You number my wanderings;Put my tears into Your bottle;Are they not in Your book?9 When I cry out to You,Then my enemies will turn back;This I know, because God is for me.10 In God (I will praise His word),In the Lord (I will praise His word),11 In God I have put my trust;I will not be afraid.What can man do to me?

A little background on the "wandering pilgrim" meme I have used to describe myself to others down through the years: credit Entertainment industry arranger/producer Brett Perry, who I met a couple of decades ago at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood (California) with that description. At the time, he was working with and collaborating with Twila Paris, the Christian singer and lyricist. Her song Wandering Pilgrim is one that Brett helped produce for her, among others during that period. Brett remarked to me once "David, this song describes you very well. I guess it's meant for you too!" (Humble bow)

How interesting it was to find in today's "Reading the Bible in a year" passage in my Bible reading plan for the day the above verses. Never did see the word "wandering" there before. Not all English translations say it that way, of course. But New King Jimmy does. Interesting. . .

God numbers my wanderings. "He knows my every thought," is a lyric from another song I love, "He Knows My Name." He is that knowledgeable, concerned, and caring. He knows our story even better than we do! Makes one shiver at the thought when you get down to it.

God also sees your tears as precious. . . precious enough to value them enough to bottle them. We bottle Coca-Cola, hot sauce, and all kinds of other things. . . but tears? Amazing that the Lord values even our tears in that kind of personal way. Takes one's breath away when you think about it reflectively enough, doesn't it?

David (the writer of the Psalm here, not I who is named after him) in this instance was captured by the Philistines and imprisoned. Notice what he says in response: God is for me, I will praise His word, and the immortal words of verse 11. "In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Lots of implications and personal applications there in that verse. In these days of increasing tribulation, be ye glad. . . and remember this: they can kill the body, but they can't take your soul. Not if it's Jesus' that he bought with the price he paid at the Cross. You are set free in the Spirit through what Jesus provided for us. Rejoice, my friends,rejoice!